Feed mechanism for moving-picture machines.



l J.BUT0HBR. FEED MEGHANISM FOR MOVING PICTURE MACHINES. i

APPLICATION FILED OGTJB, 1911;

1,104,873. I Patented July 28, 191@ 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

'// muh? f5 l J. BUTCHER. FEED MECHANISM FOR MOVING PICTURE MACHINES.

` APPLIOATION FILED 0OT.16, 1911. 1,1 04,873. Patented July 2s, 19m

3 SHEETS-SHBBT 2.

Patented July 28, 1914,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' To all when?, may concern: .j

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

JosEiH- BUTCHER, or BROOKLYN, NEW Yonx.

lFEES!) MECHAN'ISM FOR MOVING-PICTURE MACHINES.

Beit known that I, Jose-rn BUTcHER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Feed Mechanism forl Moving-Picture Machines, of which the following description, in connect-ion with the accompanying drawing, as a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.'

This' invention relates -to feed mechanism for a sheet or strip which is adapted to give -said strip an intermittent feeding movement.

The invention isparticularly designed for use inA feeding a picture-carrying strip or lmyjsu'ch as is' used in a moving-picture A feed mechanism embodying my invenmachine, lalthough the invention might be used'ingother places where it is desired to fe'ed a *sheet v or strip with an intermittent movement.

vThe principal object of the invention is to provide a feed-mechanism of this type in which the forward feeding movement is secured in a very small' space of time relative to the period of rest.

tion is particularly useful in moving-picture machinesbecause the time during which the lm or picture-carrying strip is in motion is so small relative to its period of rest that a steady picture 'can be produced on the screen without the use of shutters.

The particular features wherein my in.- vention resides will be more fully hereinafter described and then pointed out in the appendedclaims.

Referring now to the drawings wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment ofl my invention, Figure 1 is a side view of a moving-picture projecting apparatus having my improved feed mechanism therein; Fig.

2 illustrates a section of the picture-carrying strip; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail View of the feed rolls; Fig. 4 is al sectional view showing the escapement' and let-off members; Fig. 5 is a view showing the gearing for operating the escapement and let-off members; Fi 6 is a view on the line www, Fig. 4; Fig? is Y an enlarged sectional view through the escapement member; Fig. 8 is a view on the line :lf-y, Fig. 7; Fig. 9'is..a section on the vline arf-a, Fig. 7 Fig.- 10 is a plan view of the let-off member showing a portion of the escapement member; Figs. 11 and 12 show the operation of the let-olf member; Fig. 13 is 'an end view of the device shown in Fig. 1

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led October 16, 1911. Serial No. 655,060. y

Patented July' 2s, 1914.

with the light hood shown in section on the my co-pending application Se. No. 655,059,4

and which is especially designed for projecting pictures from van opaque picturecarrying strip.

The. projection apparatus herein shown comprises a stand 1 carrying an objective or projecting lens 2. The picture-carrying strip is shown at 3 and it passes around a continuously-rotating feed roll'4 which is provided with spurs '5 to enter the apertures 6 formed 'in the strip .and thence over a supporting plate 7 and to the intermittently-operating'feed roll 8 which is also provided with spurs 9 to enter the apertures 6. The portion of the strip which passes over the support 7 is adapted to be illuminated from a suitablesource of illumination, and an image of the illuminated-portion of the stripv is reflected into 'the projecting `lens 2 by means of a suitable reflector 10, all as shown in my said co-pending application.

The continuously-rotating feed roll 4 and the intermittently-operated feed roll 8 are shown as sustained in brackets 11 carried by the frame 1. A roll 12 coperates with the feed roll 4, `and said rolls are positively driven by some suitable mechanism. As herein'shown the roll 12 has fast on the shaft Vthereof a gear 13 which meshes with a gear 14 fast on the shaft of the roll 4,

and said gear 14 meshes 'with and is driven by a pinion 15 on a driving shaft 16 that is supported in suitable bearings. This driving shaft is provided with a pinion 17 which meshes with and is driven by a driving gear 18 carried by a shaft 19 that is operated in any suitable way, as by means of a handle 20. The rotation of the handle 20 will,

therefore, rotate the feed rolls 4 and 12 con-4 tinuously and thus give the portion of the strip 3 passing therethrough a continuous forward movement.

The intermittent movement of the feed roll 8 is secured by the following mechanism:

in the brackets 11 and is driven by any suitable or appropriate mechanism. In the embodiment shown, the shaft is provided with a gear 23 which meshes with and is driven by `a gear 24 that in turn is driven by the pinion 15. The barrel 2l 1s loosely mounted on the shaft 22 and is driven therefrom through the operation of a spring herein shown at 25. This spring is in the nature of a coiled spring, one end of which is fastened at 26 to a collar 27 fast on the shaft 22, and the other end of which is fastened at 2S to a bushing 29 that is loosely mounted on the shaft 22 and is rigid with the barrel 21. The barrel 21 has connected therewith an escapement member30 in the form f a flange provided with radiating arms 31, each of which carries at its end an anti-friction roll 32.

33 designates a let-off member which is situated in the path of the arm 32 and which normally restrains the forward rotation of the escapement member due to the unwinding tendency of the spring 25. This y let-off member is in the form of a disk which is provided with a slot 34 of a size to receive the roll 32 and which is brought into the path of said rolls by the turning movement of said disk. shown as carried by a shaft 35 which can be continuously rotated when the mechanism is in operation. In the embodiment herein shown said shaftis provided with a beveled gear 36 which meshes with a beveled gear 37 carried by the shaft 16. Said shaft 35 is journalcd in any suitable bearings 38 carried by one of the brackets 11. Theslot 34 is formed in the disk 33 at an angle, as best seen in Figs. 10, 11 and 12.

Iny the operation of the device the rotation of the driving shaft 16 operates through the gears 24 and 23 to wind up the spring 25 which tends to rotate the escapement member forwardly in the direction of the arrow a, Fig. 8. mally held from rotation by the engagement of one ofthe arms 31 with the underside of the let-off member 33, as shown at Figs. 8 and 12. This let-ofi' member is rotated in the direction ofthe arrow b, Figs. 10, 11 and 12 by the gearing 37, 38 'and when the lower end of the slot 34' comes in line with the arm 31, said arm passes into the slot. as shown in Fig. 11, and as the let-ofi' member continues its rotation the unwinding ofA the spring 25 causes the arm to pass up through the slot. As soon as the arm is -freed from the slot, the escapement member is given a quick forward movement by the spring 25 until the neXt arm comes into engagement with the underside ofthe letof member, as shown in Fig. 12. The letofl' member willthen restrain the escapement member from further forward rota- The let-off member 33 is Said escapement is nor-.

tion until said let-off member has made another complete rotation and has come again into the position shown in Fig. 11 when the escapement member is ermitted to make another step forwarduntil another arm strikes the underside of the let-off member. Each rotation of the let-off member will, therefore, permit the escapement member to make one step forward.

The inclination of the slot 34 is an important feature of my invention, for this insures that any arm of the escapement member will not be released from the slot of the let-off member until the lower or entering end of the slot has been carried by the path of movement of said arm. This will be made clear from an inspection of Fig. 12 and it insures that the escapement member will move forward one step only at each revolution of the let-off member.

It will be remembered that the escapement member is rigid with the roll 8, and said feed roll,ftherefore, also has the intermittent movement above described. The spring 25 will operate to give the feed roll 8 and escapement a quick forward movement each time that an arm 31 is released, and this occurs during a comparatively small fraction of a complete rotation of the let-off member. The length of time that the feed roll and the strip 3 are movingy forwardly from one position to another, therefore, is only va small fraction of the time in which they remain at rest. This is a matter of some importance in movingpicture machines because it is a desideratum to have the picture-carrying strip remain at rest as great a proportion of the time as possible and to have as little of the time as possible consumed in moving the strip forward from one position to another.

The feed roll 8 is preferably adjustably mounted on the barrel 21 so that said roll may be turned about the barrel as necessary to adjust the position of the strip 3. For this purpose said barrel is provided with a clamping iange 40 against which one end of the roll 8 engages and a clamping member 41 is screw-threaded to the barrel and engages the other end of the roll. By screwing up the clamping member 41 the roll 8 is rigidly secured to the barrel 21, and this is the position of the parts when the feed mechanism is in operation. If it is desired to adjust the roll 8 the clamping member 41 may be backed oil', thus releasing said roll so that it can be adjusted about the barrel. One end of the roll 8 is shown as having a friction washer 42 therein to engage the iange 40, and I will preferably interpose one or more friction washers 43 beween the clamping member 41 and the rol.

While I have described one embodiment of my invention yet I do not Wish to be limited to the constructional features shown as various changes may be made in the arrangement of the parts without departing from -the invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and deslre to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a shaft, of a spring coiled thereabout and secured at one end thereto, a barrel loosely mounted on the shaft and connected to the other end of said spring, a driving shaft, gearing connecting said driving shaft and the first-named shaft, a plurality of radial arms rigid with the barrel, a slotted let-olf member situated in the path of said arms, and gearin connecting said let-off member with the driving shaft.

'2. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a shaft, of a spring `coiled thereabout and secured thereto at one end, a barrel loosely mounted on the shaft and connected to the other end of the spring, means to rotate the shaft continuously, an escapement member connected with the barrel and provided with an arm, a Slotted letoii member situated in tne ath of the arm, means to rotate said mem er, 'a feed roll. loosely mounted on the barrel, and means to clamp the feed roll thereto.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH BUTCHER.

Witnesses:

LoUIs C. SMrrH, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND. 

